"Need any help?"
"Old man."
Cecilia was deep in the forest belongings to the Kaminari house as she placed her back against a tree and tended to her own wounds.
Bandaging her arms had been quite complicated but she had managed to do it by biting the other end.
Right now though, an old man with an old beard spoke quietly as she stood next to her.
Cecilia grimaced as she realized that she had felt absolutely nothing before he spoke.
If he had been after her life, she would have been dead.
This realization made her bite her lips in frustration.
'Ohoh.'
The old man, looking at her reaction, could only chuckle inwardly in admiration.
This was why he liked this little girl.
Anyone else in her place would have not cared.
After all — He was a zodiac and one of the strongest at that.
Wasn't it normal for him to be able to sneak up on them?
Thinking stupid thoughts like this would stifle their own growth.
"It seems like you got beaten up today again."
His words were different from the others and Cecilia nodded,
"Yeah. Mei is strong and she didn't even go all out. I got many bruises."
Many people thought that Cecilia was too prideful to accept defeat which was why she never accepted when someone said she lost.
They were wrong.
Cecilia recognized very well when she was outclassed and outmatched. She recognized and accepted getting beaten up by Mei.
But she did not lose.
You could only lose when you give up or when you die.
Musashi understood all this and chuckled as he took a small piece of candy and gave it to her.
"You know an old man giving candy to a little girl in the Forest looks very creepy, right?"
"If you don't want them…"
Musashi raised his eyebrows and was about to retrieve his hand but he was stopped by Cecilia who swiped all the candy away.
"I said it looked creepy. That I didn't want them. You are becoming a senile old man."
"You are really a brat."
" — And you are really a senile old man."
For a moment, the armor that she wore on her heart seemed to break a little, showing a glimpse of the actual young kid she was.
Only Musashi could do this as she was the only one she believed in.
In a world where everyone said useless things such as vengeance brought nothing, he was the one who gave her a knife back then and he was the one who taught her to become strong.
"Do you wanna continue like this?"
"Yes."
"Even though you are always getting beaten up?"
"I don't care."
"Why?"
She looked at him and spoke softly, "You know why."
"I do. But tell me."
Had anyone else talked to her like this, she would have attacked them on the spot with no hesitation.
But in this case, she simply looked down.
Not because she was scared of him. But simply because she respected him.
"You know…Every day, I feel like I have this fire in my heart."
She placed her hand on her chest, "Every time I wanna calm down. It keeps urging me. Don't stop. Fight. Fight again and again."
A haze covered her expression as she hugged herself.
"When I think about how a bastard like the one who hurt Dad and Mom can walk free and unhindered, I feel like I want to scream. Why!? Just why can they walk with no punishment!?"
A crimson prana covered her and a dense killing intent filled the air.
"So I can't stop. I will become a zodiac to kill them all and If the zodiac isn't strong enough to bring all of them down, I will become a god and burn all of them."
Musashi looked down at the girl who was already far stronger than many adults. But whose vision was directed at a far higher horizon than anyone else.
He could see it in her eyes.
An endless desire for destruction. A fire of pure rage and hatred.
He knew very well why. After all, on that day —
Musashi chuckled,
"Very well. Then I will give you a chance."
"Old man?"
"You said you want to become stronger, right?"
"Yes."
"Then from now on. I order you to stop fighting against Mei."
"What!?"
She screamed in surprise and wanted to stand up but a simple hand on her shoulder made her feel like a giant Boulder was pressing down on her.
"Listen until the end."
When she calmed down he gives a gentle laugh,
"From now…You will serve Mei as a sword bearer and retainer. Follow her in her mission and fight alongside her."
Cecilia fell silent. She knew the rumors. All the missions of Mei were so hard that all her retainers ever died, were crippled, or simply gave up.
No one could keep up with Mei and for all the smile she keep on her face, Mei would never slow down for anyone.
If people could not keep up with her, she simply lost interest and continued to walk her way. Alone like a lone rose at the top of a cliff.
This was why people admired her or even worshipped her.
In their eyes, she was not a human but more like a goddess or the reincarnation of an immortal.
Someone who could not be tainted.
This was also why they hated Cecilia.
Seeing the girl fall silent, Musashi grinned and goaded her,
"What? Scared now?"
Like he anticipated, those words were like a fire on oil. Cecilia gritted her teeth, fire blazing in her eyes.
"Will this really make me stronger?"
"If you survive."
"Very well. Isn't it just following her around? I will do it. I will show you all."
She shouted and walked away.
Now alone, Musashi coughed a little, a trace of blood mixed in it, and shook his head.
"Come out."
A black-haired young woman walked out of the shadow quietly. If Cecilia had still been present, she would have most likely cursed like there was no tomorrow.
After all, not noticing Musashi was one thing. But having Mei also walk past her sense would have been a great blow.
"Good afternoon grandfather, you should take care of your health."
She bowed gracefully but Musashi simply waved his hand like he was tired, "Don't give me that crap. Those old elders aren't here."
Standing up, the solemn atmosphere was replaced by a teasing smile as she approached and hugged Musashi before letting go.
"Sorry Grandpa. But you should really take care of your health."
"Don't worry. This is the price I have to pay for my sword."
His name was not Musashi. He long since discarded his true name after taking his sword.
"So, what do you think of her?"
Musashi asked and, looking in the direction of the departing Cecilia, Mei smiled, "I like her."
Her smile was sincere. As a supreme talent, she was used to others feeling inferior to her and not daring to look her in the eyes. Much less fight her.
"She never gives up no matter how much I beat her up."
If it was just this, Mei would not feel admiration. After all, there was nothing admirable about a fool.
"Every time we fight, she becomes stronger the next day."
"So you noticed."
He took a pipe and was about to lit it but the pipe was smashed by Mei.
"Smoking is bad."
"Sigh. Smoking is one of the few pleasures of a man."
"Hmph. If I have a child and he is a boy, I will never let him smoke."
"Look at you little girl talking about raising a child. Wait a few more decades"
Musashi shook his head and chided her while giving up the idea of smoking as he looked at his broken pipe with heartache.
It had been one of his favorites.
Inwardly though, he was also surprised by the speed Mei had shown. After all, it wasn't the first time she had tried to break his pipe but every time he would simply avoid her attack. This time though, he had been caught off guard. He looked at her with a frown as he realized something.
"You…You opened your gate of Truth?"
He asked with bewilderment as he could not believe his own words.
"Hum? Oh, I did it this morning. Beating up Cecilia is so fun. I thought it wouldn't be fun if I didn't become a little stronger. So I decided to break through."
"...So you decided to break through…"
Musashi repeated her words dumbfoundedly before exploding in laughter.
"You wanted to break through so you did."
The more he thought about it, the funnier it was.
Just how many people would have a heart attack if they heard those words?
Truly —
"Youngsters these days are too energetic."
He laughed and looked in the direction Cecilia had left earlier. Wondering if leaving her with Mei was a good idea. But soon, his eyes became cold.
He believed in her. He wanted to see how far this stubborn lone wolf could go and whether she would get crushed by reality or soar like an eagle in the sky.
Who knows? Perhaps she would break through all his wildest expectations.
(AN: Hehe. This is the third chapter of Cecilia's life as a child. As you can see, the girl was really brash and feisty. She had her own aspiration and hid her pain behind a strong facade. As for Mei. She is simply a cheat. Haha. I wonder if you liked this chapter that showed more of her.
Honestly, Cecilia could be the main character of her own JP Shonen story.
This makes me laugh since in SHK, Lilith could have been the main character of her own Xianxia story. )
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶